


five women

by sparkagrace



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 14:39:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14771579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkagrace/pseuds/sparkagrace
Summary: It takes five women for Scott to find out what he's really searching for.Five months. Five women. Only one that counts.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here I am again with another RPF I thought I'd never write. I don't own anything. Scott and Tessa are two people I've never met and this is all fiction.
> 
> Inspired by "5 Women" by Prince and lyrics from the same. 
> 
> Set from March 2019 onwards.

_It took five women to get you off of my mind_  
_It took five months, a plenty good wasted time_  
_But it just took five minutes when I saw your face again_  
_To fall in love all over, I guess with you I’ll never win_

 

* * *

 

They’re in the weird limbo between off-time and getting ready for the upcoming Stars on Ice tour. Scott thinks he’ll never get used to not being at the rink every day, even though they’ve been ‘retired’ for a year already, but he’s due to meet Tessa later this week to come up with ideas for their new tour routines and he’s buzzing with excitement to get back on the ice.

 

His buddies have dragged him out with them because they’ve all managed to find time in their schedules to have a long overdue golfing afternoon. Scott’s schedule is pretty free, but almost all of his friends now have significant others, kids and real jobs, which means finding time to actually meet and hit a few balls for an entire afternoon is a pretty rare occurrence.

 

He’s waiting at the bar at the golf club after their eighteen holes when his friend Dean taps him on the shoulder.

 

“Hey man, want a beer? I’m buying.” Scott says but then notices Dean’s wearing his jacket. “Oh man, don’t tell me you’re leaving!”

 

“Sorry, Scott. I promised Natalie I’d go to her mom’s house for dinner. She was already mad I came golfing today; and her mom already hates me.” Scott deflates. “Sammy and Joe are still here though.”

 

Scott bids Dean goodbye and promises they’ll find time for more golf next weekend. Grabbing a round of beers, he finds Sammy and Joe squeezed in at a table and perusing the menu.

 

“I can’t believe Dean left to go see his mother-in-law,” Scott complains.

 

“Ah, come on, Scott. He’s a newlywed.” Sammy says. “They still have to pretend to like each other’s family.”

 

“What about you? Anyone on the horizon?” Joe quirks his eyebrow up at Scott.

 

“No.” Scott replies flatly.

 

“Strange .We’re not used to seeing you single for this long. Out of everyone, we thought you’d get married first. Well, maybe second because Todd and Harriet were practically married by the time they were thirteen.”

 

Scott makes a face. “Who did you think I’d get married to?”

 

None of his past girlfriends—the ones that had any significance anyway—would have been good marriage material. His relationship with Jessica was practically modeled after a teen soap opera (always off-and-on, mostly on) and they were too young anyway. Cassandra hadn’t really been that serious; and to be honest, he wasn’t sure what he was thinking since none of his family or friends liked her that much.

 

While Kaitlyn was probably the most serious, they had never really gone through with any of the plans they had started talking about. Scott’s therapist thinks that he had only talked of a future with her because he _thought_ that’s what he should have been doing. After their break from competition, Scott didn’t have much direction and his friends had all started settling down. Scott poured most of his energy that he saved for competition into a new relationship and tried to force a future with someone he deemed a sensible choice.

 

It backfired in the end and the breakup was inevitable but messy. He kind of wishes he had been more sensitive in those last few weeks leading up to Kaitlyn storming out of his house and out of his life.

 

Then it was Montreal and the ‘no-distractions’ during their comeback so Scott didn’t really think about dating while he survived in the two-year comeback bubble with Tessa.

 

Now, a year after their final Olympic victory, Scott was still single and starting to become more aware of that fact as he went home to an empty house night after night.

 

“Well the obvious answer is Tessa but we know you hate that,” Joe grins into his beer and Scott rolls his eyes. “Do you know how famous you were last year? You could have had anybody but you didn’t date at all.”

 

“I was busy,” Scott shrugs. And it’s true. After the Olympics, he and Tessa were all over the news, all over the papers, all over the internet. He couldn’t get away from himself. He turned off notifications on all the social media platforms their PR team made him create, in an attempt to ignore all the fans that messaged him relentlessly. It was scary how much insight strangers had on his life and relationships. He didn’t need that drama.

 

It was difficult to meet people who didn’t know who he was so soon after the Olympics. His past girlfriends were from before he was famous or in the sporting world anyway (aside from Cassandra, which he still cringes about sometimes). Plus, even if he had wanted to date then, it was pretty hard to do so when his image was so closely linked to Tessa’s that half the women he met always asked where she was and disappointedly told him _awww but I thought you guys were together!_

 

“You’re not busy now.” Sammy points out. “Most people have forgotten about the Winter Olympics by now and the Summer Olympians are way sexier. You can just be Scott from Ilderton.”

 

His friends find it insane that Scott hates using the _I’m an Olympian_ line considering it’s pretty much a sure thing (they also hate that Scott won’t let them use the line or his medals to pick up women, especially when they were all in their early twenties). Scott’s not sure how he can pick up women now in his early thirties. Everything seemed much simpler when he was younger, braver and cockier (and before social media).

 

“You don’t even try,” Joe supplies, as if he’s the King of Relationships and Dating. Joe’s been with two women in his entire life (both of whom he met through his church group) and has been married for six years already.

 

Scott doesn’t say anything but grimaces into his beer and focuses on the menu.

 

“I think I’m going to get the cheeseburger,” he says.

 

* * *

 

Three days later, Scott is sitting at his parents’ kitchen table and watching Charlie try to feed his son.

 

“Do you think I don’t try looking for women?” Scott asks. It’s just him and Charlie (and his new nephew Ollie) in the house right now so it's a pretty safe place to ask. Plus, it's not like Charlie would yell at him in front of his child, right?

 

Charlie gives his brother a look and then smirks. “Like how?”

 

“Like do you think that I avoid looking for relationships?” Scott presses. “Because I have had three long-term relationships and apparently it’s weird I’m not in one now.”

 

Charlie considers Scott for a moment, taking his focus away from feeding his son some mushy peas, to focus on his brother.

 

“I think that you’ve had a singular focus for most of your life and now that you don’t have that, you might be thinking something is missing from your life.” Charlie starts cautiously.

 

“I’m still skating.”

 

“I know. But all the relationships you’ve had have mostly been long-term ones, like your career was a long-term thing. Um, even Tessa was a long-term thing along with Jessica and Kaitlyn. And now that you don’t have competition or someone in your life, I think that perhaps you should take the opportunity to try as many other experiences as you can. Away from… skating.” Charlie winces at the end, wondering if Scott could recognize the hidden meaning behind his words.

 

They weren’t just _his_ words. It had been one of many discussions he’d had with Danny and his parents, Sheri and even his wife. A Scott-without-Tessa.

 

2014 had basically been the ‘worst case scenario’ that they had all imagined and somewhat expected. Tessa and Scott running away from each other and their sport until it all imploded. And it did implode, but somehow Scott and Tessa made it out alive and they surprised everyone by returning to competition and building their relationship stronger than it had ever been. Even better than the ‘good old days’ before post-Olympic blues, leg surgeries, Marina and Sochi.

 

There would still be a period of adjustment to be expected post-retirement, but so far Tessa and Scott had been able to survive it. They didn’t see each other every day but now they spent a regular amount of time together (which was still a lot) but Charlie knew that eventually that too could end.

 

It was probably in Scott’s best interests to start exploring his options sooner rather than later—both career-wise and personally—before it imploded again.

 

“So you think I should be dating?” Scott asks.

 

“I think you should at least try. You’ve been single for what? Three years now? That’s the longest I’ve ever seen you without a girlfriend. I don’t want to see you waiting around for something that might never come.” Charlie says, but off Scott’s quizzical look, he adds. “I mean, you’re thirty-two. Don’t be that dirty old man in the bar. Go on dates, have some fun! You might find something you weren’t expecting.”


	2. march

_March was a cold one in more ways than one_  
_Went down to the nightclub looking for the sun_  
_Looking for a light that could brighten up a day_  
_That’s been darker than a hole since you went away_

* * *

  

Amy is a petite brunette with a red skirt and a bare midriff. These are the details Scott remembers when he’s pressing her up against the wall of the club with a repetitive bassline reverberating through his head. He regrets being so close to the speakers now because all he can hear is that boom-boom-boom and then the singer screams and it feels like being stabbed in the head.

 

He winces and pulls away from her lips but she clamps down lightly on his bottom lip and _oh_.

 

“Wanna get out of here?” He asks and it’s such a line that he feels like it’s not even him asking the question. When did he become a character in a movie? A character that would probably be Club Douche #1 in the end credits.

 

But Amy (or maybe it’s Ally?) doesn’t seem to mind because she nods and takes his hand as she leads him through the throngs of people who seem so much younger than him and with way more energy. He waits as she collects her jacket and says goodbye to a couple of her friends; hovers awkwardly a few feet away and hidden in the shadows so no-one can really get a good look at him.

 

He’s pretty sure Amy (maybe it’s Annie?) doesn’t know who he is and hopes that no-one recognizes him. He’s too drunk to sign autographs or take photos and he’s trying his hardest to be a good role model, but fuck it, it’s a Saturday night and he’s allowed to have one night of freedom while he’s out on a rare night with his buddies. Most of whom who have already gone home to get back to their wives and kids and real jobs. Scott doesn’t have ballet lessons, hockey practice or farmer’s market plans tomorrow morning. Since he’s retired and in between tours, he’s got a lot of free time nowadays. Most of his nights are spent with his family or watching hockey games in his sweats.

 

He was sweating in the club but now that he’s in the crisp March air, his senses burst alive and sends a shiver down his spine. He looks to his left to find Amy (maybe Abby?) standing next to him, eyes glassy and lips red and raw; an expectant smile on her face. He bends down to kiss her again, just to make sure she’s still interested, and flags down a cab to her place when she returns his kiss.

 

It’s not like Scott’s a stranger to one-night stands. After Jessica and before Cassandra, when he was younger and cocky enough to think he had the world at his feet, he enjoyed going out to clubs with his friends and finding Miss Right Now. Most of the time it didn’t go further than the club, but on a handful of occasions he woke up in a stranger’s bedroom with a headache and hazy memories from the night before.

 

It turns out one-night stands in your early thirties are way _less_ impressive and way _more_ awkward. He’s sure Amy (or Amber?) is nice and all, but he wakes up a little after eight in the morning with a dead phone and no idea where he is. He lies awake for twenty minutes unsure of what he should do until the woman next to him finally stirs and asks if he’s okay.

 

“Can I use your phone?” And he feels like a nine-year-old asking his mom to pick him up from his friend’s house because he was too scared to sleep over. She nods and hands him her phone while she goes to make some coffee. He refuses the cup and looks up the number of a local cab company.

 

Five minutes later, he thanks her for a nice evening and stands outside in last night’s clothes and in desperate need of a shower. The cab driver gives him a look when he pulls up, but is kind enough not to comment on it as they make the short drive back to his place. Blissfully, it is only a twenty-five minute journey and he’s glad he didn’t end up in the ass-end of Nowheresville last night.

 

He plugs his phone in once he gets home and it illuminates with a text from Tessa sent from the night before.

 

_Feel like grabbing breakfast at The Bag Lady tomorrow? aka I have nothing in my house and I haven’t seen you in three days. Say around 10?_

 

Scott frowns when he looks at the time and sees that it’s already quarter past nine. He wants to see Tessa but he smells like sex and beer and shame, and he’s convinced Tessa will know immediately what he was up to last night.

 

 _Sorry, my phone died and I forgot to charge it. Breakfast is a yes but can we push to 10:30?_ He replies back hopefully. He needs a shower, to wash all the evidence of the night before off of him, before he sees her. Though he’s single and it’s not his first one-night stand, he’s not the type to revel in his conquests. Particularly not in front of his best friend.

 

 _Finally! I thought you died and I’d have to eat breakfast by myself like a loser. I’m already up so be proud. See you soon!_ Tessa writes back with a kissy face emoji.

 

Scott immediately heads for the bathroom. Despite his slightly delicate state, he can’t afford to spend more than seven minutes under the shower. He brushes his teeth to get the cotton wool feeling out, and foregoes shaving because, fuck it, he’s retired. He’s still running late by the time he leaves his house, but he feels a little more human and tries to forget about Amy (or Alison? or whatever her name is).

 

Tessa is waiting for him at the restaurant, typing away on her phone and drinking a smoothie. She looks up when she sees him and smiles, earning a smile back from Scott. She reaches up to hug him and her fingers lightly brush against his damp hair.

 

“Did you just shower?” She asks. It’s creeping up to eleven in the morning and Scott’s known to be an early riser, even in retirement. He’s usually showered and made a dent into his day before Tessa even stirs.

 

“I was out and came back to shower before meeting you.” He replies vaguely.

 

Tessa doesn’t say anything but launches into a story about her Jordan’s new boyfriend and Scott is relived she doesn’t ask more questions.

 

Until…

 

“Did you have fun last night?” Tessa asks.

 

Scott’s neck snaps up from the menu. “What?”

 

“You went out with your friends, right?” Tessa narrows her eyes at him. He has no idea how Tessa always remembers his schedule like that. He had almost forgotten he was meant to be going out until earlier that morning. He must have mentioned it to Tessa before that because they hadn’t spoken in a few days.

 

“How did you know that?”

 

“You tried to facetime me at midnight for one thing.”

 

 _What’s facetime?_ Scott wonders to himself. He’s still hungover and not fully functioning.

 

“And I know you were drunk because you hate facetime and don’t know how to use it.”

 

“I know how to use it,” Scott counters. He knows he has a reputation for being less technologically inclined than Tessa (or the average millennial) but his aversion to it stems mostly from not caring, not being able to keep up with all the changes, and not really wanting people to have such easy access to him at all times.

 

“Plus I got a dozen tweets about it.” Tessa shrugs in amusement.

 

Scott freezes. “What?”

 

“Someone tagged you in a photo and then it got picked up by fans. It was under the hashtag #sorrytessa.” Tessa laughs. “As if I own you.”

 

“What’s the photo?” He asks, his mouth suddenly dry. Where was that waiter with his drink?

 

Tessa scrolls through her phone and finds it within seconds. Scott squints at the image. It’s just him posing with a fan (not the woman from last night) and it’s timestamped for earlier that evening. Before he met Amy (or Alyssa?).

 

“Oh, yeah. It was fun.” Scott tries to even out his voice. “Let’s order some food. I’m starving.”

 

Tessa doesn’t press for any further details.

 

* * *

 

Later, when his buddy Joe asks him how his night was, Scott shrugs and says it was fine, just says that they went back to hers and made out for a while but they were both pretty drunk and passed out. Joe makes a tsk and promises the next time will be better. But Scott doesn’t want a next time.

 

Sure, he’s an Olympian (still with the physique of one) and he knows that women are interested in him, but he’s not interested in one-night stands. He doesn’t want to wake up guilty and make his way back home unsure of where he is or what he said to her. He hates that he can’t even remember her name.

 

He doesn’t want to look at Tessa the next day and lie to her about his night, especially when there’s cameras everywhere and people reporting his behavior. He doesn’t want to disappoint anyone, least of all Tessa. He blanches as he wonders what Tessa would think if she knew that he was skulking around bars and picking up women probably much too young for him. He doesn’t want to see that look in her eyes; the one that tells him that she thinks a little less of him now. They’ve already taken enough knocks throughout the years without them also letting down each other. 

 

“I think I’m done with clubs,” Scott says. “We can play more golf though.”


	3. april

_April usually brings showers_  
_This time it was a hurting kind_  
_This woman said she wanted my baby_  
_I told her I’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind_  
_To fall in love with someone that I barely knew_  
_The baby would never really have a father_  
_Because I still, Because I still, Because I still, still, still, huh_  
_Be stuck on you_

* * *

  
  
Charlie corners him one afternoon and hands him a piece of paper with a number scrawled on it. _Denise_ is written on the top in a girlish scrawl.

 

“What’s this?” Scott asks. He wants to crack a joke about Charlie cruising for other women while being married but Nicole is with the kids in the other room.

 

“This is someone Nicole knows from daycare.” Charlie explains and offers Scott a beer. “She sounds nice. We thought you guys might hit it off.”

 

Scott gives his brother a withering look, places the paper on the counter and pushes it away with an index finger. “Thanks, but I’m not looking.”

 

“Come on, you’ve been single for a while and you’ve always been the serial monogamist type. Look outside; it’s spring! Time for a new romance.” Charlie urges, trying to appeal to his younger brother’s hopeless romantic side.

 

“I don’t know what to tell you, man. I’m just not looking right now.” Scott shrugs and prays for someone—anyone—to come in and interrupt them.

 

“Scott, you’re an Olympic athlete in the prime of your life. If you don’t capitalize on it now, then when? Look, there’s nothing wrong with going out on _one_ date.” He pushes the paper back towards Scott. “Don’t make me call her for you. You’re not thirteen anymore.”

 

Scott rolls his eyes to mask the blush creeping onto his face. When he was thirteen he _begged_ Charlie to call up his crush Jennifer Tallis and ask her out for him (it didn’t work and didn’t go well; Jennifer avoided Scott whenever she could).

 

“Fine.” Scott says. “I’ll call her tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

 

In the end, it takes Scott three days and a prompted reminder from Charlie to finally get in touch with Denise and fix a dinner date.

 

Denise is a tall brunette with a toothy smile and a too loud laugh. Those things don’t irritate Scott at first, but three dates into their ‘relationship’, they’re starting to get under his skin.

 

She calls him “Scoh-ott” in a whiny drawl, like she’s a petulant teenager not getting her way. And she’s clingy. So insanely clingy. He’s taken to not checking his phone and pretending he hasn’t seen her messages just so he can get five minutes of peace without having to answer her.

 

She constantly asks what he’s doing, where he is, who he’s with, what his plans are later.

 

_Skating. At the rink. With Tessa. Golf later._

_Having dinner. At his parent’s house. With his parents. Hockey later._

_Weights. At the gym. With Tessa. Hiding for the rest of his life later._

 

The worst part is that Denise is a friend of his sister-in-law’s and he doesn’t want to offend Nicole by telling her that her friend is a nut case. So he decides to put up with it for a while longer, trying to stick it out because maybe Denise is just nervous and maybe he might just grow to love her little quirks.

 

The first sign is in the second week of dating. Scott invites her to a dinner party at his friend Joe’s house where they’re going to try and be adults for an evening, drinking wines they can’t pronounce, nice cheeses that smell terrible, and pretending they all wouldn’t rather be at a bar watching hockey and drinking beer. He wouldn’t normally introduce a woman he was seeing to his friends this early, but everyone else there will be paired up and last time all his friends’ significant others tried to set him up with their friends, so at least he can avoid that.

 

Denise, to her credit, makes a good impression. None of the things that irritated Scott before seem to be annoying him now and he thinks that maybe he judged her too quickly. It might be that she’s not incessantly messaging him because they’re in the same place and she’s trying to make a good impression with his friends.

 

They make it through dinner fine and there’s only a couple of times she calls his name and it makes him want to stab a fork in his thigh because _god_ it still grates on his nerves when she says it like that. But he smiles and lets it go.

 

Then Joe’s five-year-old daughter, Andi, comes down the stairs, woken up by the party downstairs. Despite Joe’s best efforts to try and coax her back up, Andi refuses and is on the verge of an epic meltdown; bottom lip trembling and eyes wet with anger. Denise kneels down in front of Andi and speaks to her kindly, distracting the young girl from her tantrum, and as Scott watches them, it kind of warms his heart. She’s a kindergarten teacher so she’s completely in her element. Scott watches with a smile on his face as Denise talks sweetly with the kid and calms her down.

 

Once Andi is happily led back to her room, Denise turns to Scott with a broad grin on her face. He envelops her with an arm and presses her against his shoulder.

 

“That was kind of sweet,” he tells her. “It was like watching the bomb squad dismantle a bomb. My nieces and nephews would be on the floor right now screaming. I could never deal with that.”

 

Denise smiles up at Scott. “It’ll be different with our kids.”

 

It takes Scott a few seconds to register what she’s said and he freezes.

 

_Our?_

 

He can feel her eyes on him and he thinks the best thing to do in this situation is laugh and hope that she meant it as a joke. Because they’ve known each other three weeks and haven’t even slept together yet.

 

“My mom is coming to town next weekend so we should all go out for dinner.” Denise says, not so much as a question, more as a given, and Scott is suddenly blank with fear. Did he blackout and miss six months of their relationship?

 

“Has anyone tried this gouda?” someone asks from across the room and Scott takes it as an opportunity to escape from this conversation and try to understand what just happened.

 

* * *

 

He tries to explain it to Charlie two days later when Denise is at work (and unable to text him) and he doesn’t need to be at the rink for another hour. Charlie is trying to put together a May Day crown for his daughter and Scott is meant to be helping.

 

“Maybe she didn’t really mean it like that.” Charlie offers, pausing the YouTube video that’s trying to teaching them how to make paper flowers. “It could have just been a slip of the tongue.”

 

“Or maybe,” Scott says burying his head in his hands after ruining another paper flower, “she’s already named our kids and found private schools for them. I guess this is my life now.”

 

Charlie rolls his eyes. “I’m sure she’s not that bad. You’re just looking for excuses not to commit to anything.”

 

“No, I’m not. She really is annoying.”

 

“Then break up with her? I’m sure Nicole won’t mind as long as you do it nicely.”

 

“What am I meant to say? We’re breaking up because I’m not ready to be a father to the Von Trapp family?” Scott picks up a pink piece of card and half-heartedly follows along with the YouTube tutorial.

 

“Why don’t you invite her over for dinner with me and Nicole? It’d be a nice buffer.”

 

“Oh sure, let me introduce her to more members of my family. That doesn’t give the wrong impression.”

 

“Have you introduced her to Tessa yet? That’s usually kryptonite to your girlfriends,” Charlie grins.

 

“Haha,” Scott says dryly, though secretly he can’t deny Charlie has a point. After messing up yet another paper flower, Charlie refuses all help from Scott and makes him get beers instead.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s pouring with rain but Scott leaves his house dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head and tied loosely under his chin. He had the good sense to take an umbrella with him but he’s still cold and wet by the time he gets to Tessa’s house.

 

She seems curious when she opens the door, taking in his disheveled and sudden appearance at her home, but doesn’t seem to be too surprised. He has sunglasses on despite the storm clouds above them and he looks so ridiculous that Tessa can’t help but bark out a laugh.

 

“Can I come in?” Scott asks unnecessarily. They’ve always been welcome in each other’s’ homes, their parents’ homes, their brothers’ homes, but Scott figures he should be polite because he needs a hideout and Tessa’s house is the only one he can really seek refuge in.

 

“Okay, but I am almost at the end of my book so I hope you have an explanation.”

 

Tessa lets him in and Scott pulls off his wet sneakers and sets his umbrella neatly on the porch. Tessa roots through her hallway closet and pulls out a spare sweatshirt of his that had been left there some months before. She pulls at his wet one with one hand, exchanging it for the dry sweatshirt in her other. Throwing the hoodie in her laundry hamper, Tessa moves into the kitchen and begins brewing some tea for both of them.

 

Scott is lying on her couch with his legs across an arm rest when she comes back. Tessa nudges his feet down with a light scold as she brings in two steaming mugs of peppermint tea for them. She settles back onto her couch and Scott turns so that his head is in her lap.

 

She chuckles softly. “That bad, huh?”

 

He groans into her thigh. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m in hiding. Read your book.”

 

Tessa clicks her tongue but doesn’t say anything. She picks her book back up (Scott thinks it’s one of the Brontë’s) and continues reading while raking her fingers softly through his damp hair.

 

Scott fells all the tension and stress begin seep out of him as he lets Tessa lull him into a peaceful snooze. It’s only fifteen minutes later when that peace is disturbed by a finger flicking at his ear.

 

“Ow! What?” He lifts his head off Tessa’s lap to see her staring down at him, her lips twisted in annoyance.

 

“I finished my book so you owe me an explanation.” She says.

 

“What was the book about?” Scott tries but Tessa isn’t falling for it.

 

“Talk,” she demands. He blows out an annoyed sigh and scratches his eyebrow.

 

“So you know Denise? The girl I’m seeing.” Tessa nods. “Well, she asked me today for tickets to our tour.”

 

“So?” Tessa shrugs. It’s not uncommon for their friends or family members around the country to ask for tickets while they’re on tour.

 

“For _all_ our shows.” Scott clarifies. Tessa frowns.

 

“What? Is she planning to follow us around the country or something?”

 

Scott raises his eyebrows and nods. “Yes! She even asked about Japan.”

 

“What about her job?”

 

“Apparently she said she could take some time off or she’d quit. Tess, I have no idea what to do.”

 

“Move?” Tessa offers but she’s trying her hardest not to laugh at her best friend’s predicament.

 

“It’s not funny.”

 

“It’s a little funny. Oh my god, I can’t believe you have a groupie.” She holds a hand to her chest as she laughs. Scott wants to be mad but he can’t help but smile, even through attempts to mask it.

 

“Stop it,” he says feebly, but he likes to hear Tessa laugh like this—it’s a guffaw, really—and if his nightmare makes her happy, he can laugh along for a while. “Can you break up with her for me?”

 

Tessa rolls her eyes. “Sure, I’ll break up with my thirty-one year old friend’s girlfriend for him. Do you want me to pass her a note or call her parents?”

 

“I need to do it soon, huh?”

 

“I think you needed to do it before she tattoos your face onto her chest.” Tessa raises her eyebrows. “And before we leave for tour because I am not going to let you hide in my hotel room the whole time, thank you very much.”

 

* * *

 

He plans to break up with her in a nice, modestly-priced restaurant downtown where it’s halfway between their apartments (and, most importantly, there are witnesses). He’s looking up the menu on his phone on his way back from Tessa’s house when he hears his name being called and his skin shivers.

 

Denise is standing outside his apartment and she looks pissed.

 

“I’ve been calling you all afternoon,” she tells him as he approaches her. She looks down at the phone in his hands, very clearly on and with full battery. “Where have you been?”

 

“At the rink with Tess.” He lies and immediately wishes he hadn’t.

 

“I went down to the rink and they said you only had practice this morning.” Denise’s eyebrows knit together in a way that reminds Scott vaguely of a Disney villain. That one where the sea witch turns into a human and tries to hypnotize the prince into marrying her.

 

“We were at the rink and then we did some off-ice stuff.” Scott explains. “How was work?” He says in an attempt to change the subject.

 

He can see Denise’s brain trying to decide whether to interrogate him further or let him off the hook. Fortunately, it’s the latter.

 

“It was fine. I told my boss that I need some time off next month and possibly over June.” She says. “Do you need shots to go to Japan?”

 

Scott realizes that there’s no way he can wait any longer to rip off this particular Band-Aid. He can’t let her go any further with this crazy idea and he would never live it down if any of his tour castmates got wind of his not-even-official-yet-girlfriend following him around the country and to another continent. His time on tour is precious; he’s not going to spend it hiding or trying to babysit his somewhat girlfriend.

 

“About that,” he puts a hand on his front door but then wonders if inviting her into his place is a good idea. There’s a lot of breakable stuff in there. Instead, he invites her out to the park down the road to have a walk, and wonders if he should text one of his brothers or Tessa to let him know where to find his body if he doesn’t make it back home.

 

Denise doesn’t take it well. He uses Tessa’s advice: make it about her well-being, tell her you are the one who needs time, and don’t hang around! He tries to explain to her how a new relationship wouldn’t last while he’s away for almost three whole months, especially when they don't really know each other that well, and there’s no need for her to put her life on hold just for him. She cries and there’s a little bit of yelling, but Scott thinks that it went well overall.

 

“I thought we had a connection,” she says, staring out towards the park. They’re a good distance away from other people but he follows her longing gaze towards a family of four having a picnic and blanches. This was probably not a good location either.

 

“I think you’re a great person, Denise. I just don’t think we’re both in the same place right now.” He says gently. “I hope you understand.”

 

Denise closes her eyes and breathes in and out deeply three times while Scott stands awkwardly to the side.

 

“Okay,” she says finally. “I think you’re right. We’re not ready yet. We have plenty of time.”

 

“And we need to be our own people. Separately.” Scott emphasizes. She nods and opens her arms out.

 

“A hug goodbye?” She asks. Scott decides it’s the least he can offer her and accepts her hug, holding her firmly but trying to keep his distance.

 

“Okay, well then, I guess this is goodbye.” Scott untangles himself from the embrace and steps backwards. “I’ll see you around.”

 

“Oh wait!” Denise calls out.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can I still get two tickets to your Hamilton show?”


	4. may

_May was her name, she was jumping_  
_Jumping from plane to plane_  
_Actress or model or something_  
_Can’t even remember her first name_  
 

* * *

 

 

He meets Cassie at a sponsorship party in Montreal a few days before their tour begins. It’s for a skincare brand that he doesn’t know but recognizes from one of Tessa’s makeup bags and she promises they do men’s skincare too so he’s hoping for a swag bag at least. Tessa invites him as her plus one, and while he’s not as home at these events as Tessa is, it’s a chance to get out of the house, get dressed up and drink free champagne.

 

So Tessa is busy chatting up the founder of the skincare brand across the room and Scott is waiting to order a drink at the bar. The company has created special cocktails for the launch of the new line: sunset shortcake daiquiris, honeysuckle negroni, and vanilla rain mojitos; but all Scott really wants is a regular no-frills beer. However, the bartenders are too busy with cocktails orders that are taking six minutes apiece to make, and there’s a slew of people all much better looking than him (and female) getting the bartenders’ attention first.

 

While he’s waiting, he’s inspecting one of the little tester pots they’ve put out as part of the launch and he sniffs at it warily. It smells nice and minty and Scott swipes a little and rubs it between his fingers. There’s no label so he has no idea if it’s supposed to be toothpaste or hand crème. For all he knows, it could even be lube.

 

“Can I help?” A voice asks from beside him. He turns to see a tall, beautiful woman in a short red dress and blonde hair piled into a neat bun at the top of her head.  _Tessa used to wear her hair like that_ , he muses to himself.

 

“I’m just trying to figure out what this is.” Scott explains awkwardly as he wipes the residue off on a nearby napkin, hoping he hasn’t completely embarrassed himself.

 

She chuckles lightly. “It’s a lip salve.”

 

She pats a finger into the pot and swipes it slowly over her red lips. He knows she knows what she’s doing and how she looks doing it, but Scott is  _into_  it. He’s  _really_  into it. It’s been a couple of weeks since he’s been flirted with or interested in anybody. Denise almost made him want to become a monk if only to get away from her. But this woman is beautiful and seductive and must be someone important if she’s here too.

 

She offers him the pot again but before he can dip a finger into it, she’s already brushing her index finger over his lips.

 

“You don’t look like this is your scene.” She says.

 

“I’m here with a,” Scott looks over her head to find Tessa, who is still talking to the founder and doesn’t seem to be looking for him, “with a friend. I’m Scott.” He holds out a hand.

 

“I’m Cassandrea.”

 

“Cassandra?” He balks, remembering his ex-girlfriend from five years ago.

 

“Cassan _drea_. Cassie for short.”

 

Twenty minutes later, they’ve managed to find themselves a table in a corner of the venue. Cassandrea even managed to get him his long-awaited beer and they’re busy chatting away while everyone else around them mingles.

 

“I trained to be an architect,” she tells him, piquing his interest because he and his brothers have been trying to renovate a house for the last five years and they’re no closer to completing their project than they were when they bought it.

 

“That’s awesome! Do you work for a firm or freelance?”

 

“Oh, I used to work for a really nice firm in Toronto, but I quit to pursue other opportunities.”

 

_Like building schools in third world countries?_

 

“My Instagram started getting really popular so I quit my job to focus more on it and becoming an influencer.”

 

Scott frowns. “You quit being an architect for Instagram? Like, that’s your full-time job?”

 

She nods like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

 

And Scott’s not an idiot. He knows that posting on social media makes money and is apparently a legitimate career these days. He and Tessa have been advised to do it and he’s seen Tessa’s Instagram and the partnered companies she’s tagged. He also spent two years dropping B2Ten’s name at every opportunity in exchange for free off-ice services. It’s business.

 

But it’s not his  _full_ -time job.

 

There’s something that doesn’t feel right when Cassie talks about how much money she makes just for posting a photo of herself drinking tea, in a clothing store, or wearing a pair of so-expensive-not-even-Tessa-would-buy-them boots.

 

Cassie pulls out her phone and shows him a photo she recently posted. There’s a packet of ‘genius’ green tea in the foreground that advertises that just one cup a day makes you smarter, and Cassie is smiling broadly into the lens with a dainty cup of amber liquid in her hand and a crossword puzzle in front of her.

 

“This post made me $5,000,” she says proudly.

 

“Do you like the tea?”

 

Cassie lets out a low chuckle. “No, it’s disgusting. But I got over 12,000 likes and they sent me their new flavor to post about next month.”

 

Scott makes a face. When that picture of him at the hockey game went viral at the Games, he was drinking Molson beer and they sent him and Tessa personalized fridges with enough cases to last them a year. They asked them both to post it online but Scott was so embarrassed about the whole ordeal and he didn’t really want to use his Instagram that way (he hardly ever used it anyway). They agreed that Tessa posting it would be enough, but every time he looks at the fridge, he goes pink with shame. Still, it’s a nice gesture and reminder of the Games. He just wishes that it hadn’t been the part he was most known for from those Olympics.

 

But most of Cassie’s posts have her shilling a brand and it doesn’t sit quite right with him. Nevertheless, she seems funny and creative, considering she trained as an architect, and he has a nice enough time that when she asks for his phone number at the end of the night, he doesn’t think twice.

 

* * *

 

Cassie lives out in Toronto and she’s only in Montreal until the next afternoon before she has to fly back. Scott takes her to his and Tessa’s favorite brunch spot for a real date before offering to drive her to the airport. She turns his offer down but explains that she travels a lot anyway and will probably be crossing over on some of their tour dates if he’s interested in meeting up between shows. Scott knows that part of the reason he and Denise broke up was because he didn’t really want to drag a girlfriend around on tour, but Cassie doesn’t seem like she’s going to drop her entire life to follow him around so it sounds much more sane and reasonable.

 

Plus, he likes her. He  _really_  likes her and wants to see more of her.

 

There’s six days until Stars on Ice gets to Toronto, which is the next time they’ll get to meet. They spend those six days texting and video calling (Scott hates it but he likes to see her face and he’s trying to date this woman so he’s going to deal with it). He mentions her to Tessa, who just nods and says “that’s great!” but shoots him pointed looks when is too distracted by his phone instead of the movie that they’re supposed to be watching on his laptop in his hotel room in Halifax.

 

“Okay, I’m heading to my room.” Tessa announces, scooting off the bed. Scott finally looks up from his phone and the space that she’s vacating.

 

“But the movie’s not even over!” He points to the screen, at the two assistants who are plotting to get their bosses together and unknowingly falling in love in the meantime. “You said you were desperate to watch it.”

 

“I was but you’re not even watching.”

 

“Yes, I am!” Scott replies.

 

“Scott, you’ve been glued to your phone the whole time. You get mad at me when I’m on mine. You can’t have it both ways.”

 

“I’m sorry, but Cassie just got back from a photo shoot and this is the first time we’ve been able to talk all day.”

 

“Okay, Romeo, I’ll leave you to it.” Tessa ruffles his hair, trying to show that she’s not really mad (even if she is—a little bit). “See you at breakfast tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll see you at seven.” Tessa makes a face at his suggestion. “Seven thirty?”

 

“Hmmm, maybe eight?” Tessa grins hopefully. Scott rolls his eyes.

 

“Eight on the  _dot_. That means you’re ready to go, not still in bed.” He teases. Tessa rolls her eyes.

 

“No promises.” She says before leaving his room.

 

Scott turns off the movie (which was actually good and he had kind of been watching) and goes back to messaging Cassie, who evidently was on a swimsuit shoot and sends Scott a few pictures. His cheeks flush pink and he silently thanks whichever higher being helped Tessa decide to leave his room before that point.

 

* * *

 

The tour arrives in Toronto late in the evening and Cassie is already waiting for him in the hotel bar when he checks in. They grab a late dinner at a nearby diner and then head back to his room for a nightcap. When he’s late to practice the next day, he gets a ribbing from the cast and Jeff makes him do fifty press-ups on the ice as punishment. It’s not enough to wipe the smile off his face though. Tessa doesn’t say anything except roll her eyes when his phone doesn’t stop pinging throughout the day and she makes him buy her a coffee after practice as penance for being late.

 

Cassie is coming to the show but Scott only gets thirty minutes to see her between practice and the show. He does quick introductions to the cast, who are polite and thankfully don’t mention Scott being late, but it’s rushed because they’re all preparing for the show and making last-minute adjustments as it’s only their fourth performance.

 

The cast are going bowling after the show but Scott thinks it’s too early for Cassie to hang out with them the whole night, and he’d much rather spend that time alone with her before they leave Toronto. She waits for him until the meet and greets are done and he rushes from the arena with only a quick goodbye to the rest of the cast as he leaves.

 

The cast are only in Toronto for one more day before they move onto their next stop, but on their day off Tessa has a couple of meetings and the rest of the cast are off doing their own things, so he takes Cassie to Toronto Aquarium for the day.

 

Scott is watching the jellyfish and turns to point something out to Cassie, only to find her on a bench bent over her phone and typing furiously.

 

“Everything okay?” He asks.

 

“Yeah, I just can’t get any WiFi here,” she complains. “I wanted to post a picture.”

 

Scott urges her to follow along, suggesting that maybe she’ll get better signal elsewhere. He loves looking at all the fish and finding out new facts, but the entire time, half her attention is on her phone and the other half she’s complaining about the lighting.

 

Somewhere between the sharks and the sealions, his phone starts buzzing and he looks down to see notifications pouring in. He opens Instagram and sees himself tagged in a photo Cassie posted thirty seconds ago.

 

_Exploring mermaid life with this prince @scottmoir14 @TorontoAquarium #disney #torontoaquarium #thelittlemermaid #relationshipgoals #scottmoir #cassieandscott_

 

The comments are a mix of hearts, omgggg’s and pleas for Cassie to notice them. What really annoys him are the dozens of messages that start appearing in with  _omg what about Tessa?_

 

He’s about to mention it to Cassie but she bounces up to him and points at a shark and makes a joke about Finding Nemo that he brushes it off.

 

“Did you see my post?” Cassie asks ten minutes later.

 

“Uh, yeah.”

 

“Hmm, you haven’t liked it yet.” She muses aloud.

 

“Oh, I don’t really use Instagram much,” he says before spying a little catfish. “Hey, look at that guy there!”

 

* * *

 

Five days later, they’re walking along the river on their way to dinner in Winnipeg when she suddenly makes him stop and spends five minutes fixing her makeup. She then hands him her phone and runs closer towards the water.

 

“Take a photo of me here,” she requests, finding a spot on a small boulder and sitting down gingerly. Scott holds up the phone and takes a couple of photos the way Tessa taught him to. When Cassie inspects them he can see the dissatisfaction written all over her face. “Could you maybe crouch down lower? I want to get a good angle.”

 

Scott obliges yet again, cautiously lowers himself down onto the grass, and tries to ignore any passersby that may be watching this scene.

 

Apparently, those attempts aren’t good enough either. Cassie decides to change her pose and Scott takes a dozen photos of her staring into the distance before she sees another rock that looks better and forces him to go there instead because the sun would illuminate her features more.

 

They spend thirty-three minutes taking photographs and Scott is starving and pissed off by the time they get to the restaurant, just narrowly making their reservation time. Cassie doesn’t even apologize.

 

“Hey, you mind not being on your phone while we’re at dinner?” Scott snips when Cassie has been staring at her phone for the last ten minutes at the table. She gives him a withering look.

 

“I need to work,” she tells him.

 

“It’s not really a job though,” Scott mutters under his breath. Fortunately Cassie is too engrossed in something a friend has posted to be offended. But three minutes later she suddenly fluffs up her hair and holds her phone up in the air. He thinks she’s taking yet another photo but then it begins.

 

“Hi guys, it’s Cassie here.”

 

Oh god. Oh no. Scott begins to panic.

 

“I’m at dinner and I thought I’d do a quick live video.”

 

Oh god, she’s not doing this  _right_  now.

 

Scott looks sideways at the table next to him, hoping that they’re not able to hear.

 

“I’m at Fredjoek’s in Winnipeg and it is  _ah-maz-ing_. They’ve got beautiful lighting fixtures and flowers. Wait, let me show you the décor.”

 

And now she’s pointing her phone up at the chandelier above their heads.

 

Scott holds his menu up in front of his face, trying to figure out ways he can make himself disappear.

 

“Oh! And I’m with a very special guest. Say hello to Scotty,” she purrs and points the camera dead at Scott. He waves quickly and then looks away. “Scotty, say hello!” She insists.

 

“Hi.” He sighs and spies a waiter coming up towards them. “Cassie, maybe we should order.”

 

“Sure, I’ll just ask my fans what I should eat.” She says. “Okay guys, this is the menu. No prices, obviously.”

 

The waiter leans down beside Cassie and discretely murmurs. “Excuse me, madam? Would it be possible for you to put away your phone? We are getting complaints from other guests.”

 

Scott knows it’s a lie because it’s been two minutes but he’s grateful nevertheless because Cassie nods and signs off. When they’ve ordered, Cassie pulls her phone back out and taps at it.

 

“Where’s your next show?” She asks. Scott tries to ignore his rising anger at her focusing more on her phone and answers.

 

“We’re in Saskatoon the day after tomorrow, then onto Calgary. My brother lives there so it’ll be really nice to see him and his family. My nephew is—”

 

“Oh great! My agent is in Calgary and I bet he can get me some work while I’m down there. I’ll come down to that show. I’ll book flights when we get back to the hotel.” She tells him. When she sees Scott looking at her, she puts her phone away and mumbles an apology. “I’m sorry; you were talking about your brother?”

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Cassie has already left to get back to Toronto and Scott is seriously considering pulling the plug on their budding romance when Tessa makes a comment when they meet for coffee before practice.

 

“Seems like you had a nice time last night.”

 

“Last night?” He hadn’t told Tessa what he and Cassie were going to do on their date yesterday so how did she know already?

 

“At that restaurant. I saw it on Instagram live.”

 

“Oh, you were watching that?”

 

“Not at first but I got a million notifications about you so I checked it out.”

 

“Sorry, I told her to stop it. Do you want a coffee or tea?”

 

“Genius tea?” She quirks up an eyebrow.

 

“Meow!” Scott replies. Tessa seems all nice and innocent to the general public, but he knows she can be really sassy and mean when she wants to be. Usually he’s there with her. “I don’t know. I’m probably breaking up with her soon. I can’t take much more of having to watch her stare at her phone all day. These are evil machines!” He says. Tessa laughs.

 

He orders two cappuccinos for them and when he takes them back to the table (along with a brownie for Tessa) she pulls out her phone to take a photo.

 

“Not you too.” Scott groans.

 

“Hey, it feels like hasn’t been just the two of us in two weeks and I keep getting people asking me why we’re not hanging out together on tour. Plus if you’re breaking up with her anyway, we may as well please our fans. Most of the comments I was tagged in was ‘Tessa! Come and get your man!’” she grins, knowing that Scott is hating this.

 

They lean in with big smiles and Tessa takes one photo (just one), adds a filter, taps out a caption and posts. His phone chimes and he checks it.

 

_Mid-tour coffee break with the one and only @scottmoir14_

 

She puts her phone away (not on the table at a moment’s reach, fully away in her bag and out of sight) and looks back at Scott.

 

“So tell me how your date was.”

 

* * *

 

“I really don’t need to be in this photo.” Scott complains when they’re out playing golf in Calgary. He has an afternoon practice time at the rink so he and Cassie are fitting in some mini-golf after she met him at the hotel. And, until this moment, they were having a really good time and Scott has been rethinking the break up.

 

The thing is, when she talks about architecture, Cassie really knows what she’s talking about. They discuss the house he’s trying to renovate and she tells him: yes, he should look into a nice decking area in the backyard; no, basements are completely overrated; and yes, his contractor is most definitely ripping him off.

 

It’s unfortunate most of this nice and pleasant conversation comes between her tracking her follower numbers (up 654 since she posted the picture of them at the restaurant) and having to wait until she’s finished taking photos of her food (or her nail polish, or her smoothie, or her third outfit of the day). Each time, Scott wonders why he’s putting up with this, and he can feel her frustration when he refuses to pose for yet another photo of them doing normal things (instead of actually  _doing_  the normal thing) and when he doesn’t like her photos immediately.

 

He’s turned off his notifications because honestly he’s never even taken that many photos to begin with. Tessa was always the one taking the photos for both of them, but she didn’t do it in the invasive way Cassie does. For Cassie, her phone is her entire life and she’s so busy trying to show how perfect her life is, that she’s ending up not experiencing it.

 

Scott tries to gently get her to look up from her phone and connect with him a while, but there’s always an email she needs to answer, a sponsor she needs to please, or comments she needs to leave. Scott feels like an accessory to her image of a perfect life and he knows that he can’t be serious about someone who invests more time in her brand than in the real world.

 

 “No, but it’s a good one.”

 

“You don’t have to post about me.” Scott tries. It’s one thing for Cassie to be constantly updating her followers on her life and travelling, but it doesn’t need to involve him. They’ve been dating two and a half weeks with only four dates under their belts.

 

“Are you kidding? Since my first post about you, I’ve gotten two thousand more followers! Fine, half of them are calling me a homewrecker but any publicity is good publicity. I’m wondering if we could even sponsor something together.”

 

Scott opens his mouth to say something but Cassie’s already moved on to the next hole, lining up her ball on the tee.

 

“I don’t get why you’re so antsy about me posting photos of you. Tessa tags you in photos all the time.” She snips.

 

“That’s different. It’s business.” He says. Cassie raises an eyebrow and shows him a picture from six hours ago on Tessa’s account. It’s of them in the middle of a performance during one of their group numbers; his hand tight on her waist and lips buried in the crook of her neck as she smiles out at the audience. He knew Tessa posted the picture (she showed him on the bus back to the hotel and asked him to approve the caption) but that was the last time he’d seen it and he hadn’t given it a second thought.

 

Apparently Cassie had.

 

“We’re dating but you’d never know it from the way Tessa posts about you.” She seems genuinely upset. “I’ve seen you guys on the ice and it’s just looks so…intimate.”

 

Scott rubs at the bridge of his nose, gearing up for yet another conversation with a girlfriend over his  _professional_  relationship with Tessa. Scott is pretty certain that if there is a Hell, it’s filled with endless women all waiting for him to explain this strange, crazy relationship he’s had since he was nine years old. He wonders if he’ll be having the conversation for the rest of his life. If there will ever be a woman who comes into his world and  _understands_  it, finally releasing him from this Groundhog Day situation.

 

“That’s our jobs. We have to act that way because we’re playing characters. Half the time we’re in numbers where we’re pretending to be a couple breaking up. This is acting. It means nothing.”

 

“Nothing?” Cassie quirks up an eyebrow. “And you mean that?”

 

“Yeah,” Scott nods. “Off the ice, we’re nothing like that. I’m with you.” He kisses Cassie in the middle of the seventh hole, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes and resting his forehead against hers.

 

“Just so you know, this would have been an awesome photo opportunity.” She jokes.

 

* * *

 

Cassie is in the hotel room preparing to do an Instagram live about her makeup routine before she goes to the show that night. Scott decides the risk of being seen in a hotel room with her on a live video is too high and would cause more problems than it’s worth, so he decides to grab a couple of coffees and pastries and head to Tessa’s room to hang out before they have to get ready for the show.

 

When he gets to Tessa’s room twenty minutes later, she pulls open the door and looks pissed. She gives him a curt greeting and reluctantly lets him in. He tries to get her to say what’s wrong so Tessa simply shows him Cassie’s livestream.

 

There’s a part where Cassie is answering her follower’s questions like:

 

_“Where’s Scott? He’s at practice for tonight’s show. I’m going there later. Who else is?”_

_“What about Tessa? He said that she doesn’t mean anything.”_

 

“I mean  _nothing_  to you?” Tessa bites out in anger. Scott can see tears of rage forming at the corners of her eyes but she blinks them back; not wanting him to have the satisfaction. She hates crying when she’s angry. At least in front of people.

 

“That’s not what I said!” Scott defends. He’s not entirely sure where the hell Cassie is getting that information or why she decides to broadcast it to her 135,000 followers (138,302 actually and she would be annoyed if he didn’t know that).

 

“Well your  _girlfriend_  just told the world that the last 21 years we’ve spent together means nothing, at least not compared to a relationship that’s not even three weeks old! And, up until this morning, you said you were going to break up with her.”

 

“She asked me about what we do on the ice and I gave her the same conversation we always give whoever we’re dating. I said  _it_  means nothing, I never said  _you_  meant nothing. I could never say that.”

 

“Tell that to the,” Tessa looked at the video still playing on her phone, “52,000 people watching her right now.”

 

“Tess, look I’m sorry. I’ll tell her.”

 

“Save your apologies. I just want to be alone. Go bother Chiddy.”

 

“T?”

 

“I’ll see you at the rink.”

 

Then she slams the door in his face.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, you’re an idiot.” Jeff shakes his head into Tessa’s abandoned coffee that Scott offered when he wanted some advice (from Jeff of all people). “You’ve completely messed up.”

 

“Thanks, man. Appreciate it.” Scott says sourly. He knows he’s messed up but it’s always been a balancing act between keeping Tessa happy and keeping a girlfriend happy. He thought the days of upsetting Tessa were long over, something that the new-and-improved Scott wasn’t capable of anymore since they decided on their comeback.

 

Turns out he is still the same old Scott.

 

He closes his eyes, trying to get the image of Tessa standing angrily in her hotel room out of his head. He has no idea how he’s going to make it up in time before their show tonight.

 

“I mean, if she’s not answering your messages and doesn’t want to see you, I think it means she’s pretty pissed.”

 

“You know, you’re not really much help here, Jeff.”

 

“I’m sorry! But I don’t know the ins and outs of you and Tessa. Lord knows I’ve tried.” Jeff drums his fingers along the table. “Well, the show is in less than an hour so you don’t have much time to fix things. Otherwise it’s going to be a very awkward show.”

 

Scott groans into his hands and rubs his face, trying to draw out the tension.

 

“You’ve got some pretty sexy numbers this year, and then you have meet and greets where you’re going to have to sit next to each other for like an hour after the show and be happy with the fans. Are you meeting Cassie afterwards? If Tessa’s not coming out with us, you can bring her. I want to meet her.”

 

“This was a bad idea.” Scott gets up from his seat. “I’m going to go clear my head. I’ll see you at the arena.”

 

He spends the next thirty minutes walking laps around the hotel perimeter and avoiding both Cassie and Tessa. When he’s waiting by the bus, he sees Kaitlyn and Tessa walking towards the parking lot and tries to come up with something to say, but Kaitlyn shoots him a look (daggers, really) and he decides to drop it and sits at the back of the bus on his own for the short twenty minute journey to the arena.

 

* * *

 

They’re backstage, still not talking when they’re three minutes away from curtain. Scott thinks about forgoing their ritual hug but he doesn’t want to risk a bad skate. Not when thousands of people have paid money and traveled all over the country to see them skate. He doesn’t want to give them anything less than his best.

 

He catches Tessa’s eye and holds out an arm like an olive branch, inviting her in. She tears her gaze away from his and for a second he thinks he’s lost her. That she’s going to hold onto her rage for a while longer, but she must think about the skate too because a few seconds later, she turns back and walks the four steps into his arms. If he holds her tighter than usual, she doesn’t complain. His heart is pounding in his chest, from the adrenaline before a performance, from their argument this afternoon, from the fact she turned around for him.

 

But they’re struggling to get back in sync. He can feel her huffing next to him and she’s not really there in the moment with him.

 

He turns his head so his lips brush close to her ear.

 

“You mean everything to me.” He whispers. Tessa sighs with a breath of relief and presses her cheek into his shoulder. He’s not sure if she’s crying but he can feel the anger and tension begin to dissipate from her body, feels her breathing gradually steady, and within moments, their hearts are beating as one.

 

“Let’s have a good show!” Jeff claps from somewhere behind them as they part. The rest of the cast clap along and cheer, but Tessa and Scott stand side by side, hands held and gazes locked.

 

* * *

 

Tessa doesn’t say anything when he tells her he’s meeting Cassie after the meet and greet. She hums in acknowledgement but focuses on something Kaitlyn is saying instead.

 

Cassie is already at the bar when he gets there (typing on her phone, as usual). She looks up when he gets there, holds up a finger and makes him wait fifteen seconds before she’s done with her phone and stops.

 

“Good show!” She says brightly. “I got this really cool photo of you during that country number.”

 

“That’s great.” Scott chews on his bottom lip and doesn’t order a drink when the bartender stops.

 

“So when is your next show? Because I’ve got a store launch in Halifax the day after tomorrow but then photoshoot in Victoria so I can try and make it out somewhere. That tea brand also needs me to post about their new flavor but I don’t have a hotel yet; can I get it sent out to yours?”

 

Scott rubs the back of his neck, trying to ease out the knots that are forming. He needs to figure out how best to articulate that they should cool things off and get a little more distance between them as the tour ramps up (and he can get things back on track with Tessa).

 

“Hey, about that, I was thinking that you don’t really need to come to the rest of the shows. You’ve seen it three times and we’re going to have a bunch more rehearsals and more travelling. You’re already travelling so much for your work.”

 

Cassie puts down her phone and crosses her arms.

 

“It sounds like you’re trying to say you don’t want me to come to your shows anymore.” Her lips narrow into a thin line and her eyebrows knit together as she studies him.

 

“That’s not exactly what I’m saying.” He tries. “We’re both really busy and I’m going to Japan in a few weeks. I’ll be there for a while.”

 

“I’m pretty independent. I have my own work and I love my career. I’m finally starting to get some auditions and I’m hoping to get my acting career off the ground. I’m not going to drop it all and follow you around on tour. I’m used to flying all over Canada so it’s not a big deal to meet you wherever you are. I wasn’t planning on going to Japan.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Look, I was going to have this conversation with you soon anyway but if you’re already in this headspace then maybe we should talk about it now. I have to be entirely honest with you.” Cassie runs a hand through her hair and lets out a deep breath. “I need someone who has more of an online presence.”

 

Now it’s Scott’s turn to be confused. “Excuse me?”

 

“You’re great as a person. You’re funny and hot and very athletic. You would be a dream for anyone to be dating. But I’m trying to build up a profile here and dating you isn’t really helping me that much.”

 

“I thought you said you got a thousand more followers since we started dating?”

 

“I did, but some of your fans are crazy. And it was okay for a while, but I can’t keep dealing with that. Besides, I’d get so many more followers if I could post photos  _with_  you, but you keep refusing and you don’t use your social media so it just seems like I’m wasting my time. We could be hashtag-relationshipgoals but it doesn’t work if it’s so one-sided. If you could reconsider using your Instagram and doing some joint sponsorship, then maybe we can give this a real shot.”

 

“I’m not going to use my Instagram that way.” Scott says firmly. “I’m not comfortable with that.”

 

Cassie shrugs and collects her purse and phone from the bar. “That’s a shame. I really liked hanging out with you and celebrity couples are a big hit right now.”

 

“Wait, are you really breaking up with me because I don’t use Instagram enough?” Scott asks.

 

“Welcome to a 21st century relationship.” Cassie hands Scott’s his spare hotel room card. “If you ever change your mind, let me know.”

 

Scott watches Cassie walk away in disbelief. He hadn’t expected to have broken up so quickly. Though he knew that things with Cassie weren’t going super well, they had been an improvement on Denise and he thought that, with a little time, maybe they could have made it work. He had wanted her to use her phone  _less_  but it seemed like it was the opposite issue for Cassie.

 

He had liked her and genuinely enjoyed her company whenever they actually had conversations or spent time together that wasn’t broadcasted to her followers. He guessed he could have learned to deal with her numerous sponcons and social media obsession, but deep down he realized that if he wasn’t going to play by her rules, he had no right to ask her to play by his.

 

Scott decides against drinking alone and walks back up to his room instead. On his way, he passes by Tessa’s door. He walks past it first but then turns back. He has no right to ask her to console him or spend any time with him considering their argument earlier in the evening and their very shaky truce before the show. But his other option is sitting in his room with a couple of beers and feeling sorry for himself (especially when the original plan for this evening had been sex, which was probably not happening now that Cassie was gone).

 

He knocks on Tessa’s door before he loses his nerve. After waiting five seconds and not hearing a reply, he guesses Tessa could be with Kaitlyn or one of the others and he feels dumb standing in front of an empty hotel room.

 

He steps back just in time to see Tessa coming down the hallway. She looks surprised but glad to see him and gives him a friendly wave as she approaches.

 

“Waiting for me?” She asks. He has no choice but to tell the truth and nods.

 

“Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to hang. Where were you?” He asks. She holds up a piece of paper in her hand.

 

“I couldn’t get connected to the WiFi so I had to go down to the desk.” She explains.

 

“Of course, how else are you going to watch porn?” Scott jokes. Tessa nudges him with her elbow but laughs and gets out her keycard.

 

“You wish,” she replies with a grin. “Coming in? I was going to watch a movie. A PG movie. Maybe an R.” She emphasizes. She suddenly notices he’s alone and raises an eyebrow.

 

“Oh, so me and Cassie broke up.” He explains with a shrug.

 

“You good?” She asks in concern. “Do you want to talk?”

 

“Nah,” he says. “I do want to do something besides sitting alone in my hotel room though.”

 

Tessa pushes open her door and gestures for him to go in. He ruffles her hair affectionately as he passes and toes off his shoes by the door before making himself comfortable in her room. There’s already popcorn and an array of chocolate snacks on her bed and her laptop is whirring loudly.

 

“You need a new computer.” He tells her. “It shouldn’t sound this angry.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it eventually.” She tells him as she pushes him out of the way and puts in the WiFi password.

 

“Are you going to eat all this popcorn?” He asks hopefully. “Or can we share?”

 

“You can share, but those Butterfingers are mine only and you can’t touch them.” Tessa picks up the three bars of chocolate and puts them safely away from his reach on her bedside table.

 

“Mean.” Scott says despite the fact he doesn’t really like Butterfingers. He puts a handful of popcorn in his mouth, ignoring Tessa’s glare when a few kernels fall onto the bed. “What’re we watching?”

 

Tessa scrunches her face. “Uh, that movie we were watching back in Halifax.” She admits.

 

“You still didn’t see that?” Scott asks. “It’s been like two weeks!”

 

“Actually, I did see it. I’ve seen it five times. This is my sixth.” She hides her face from Scott, whose mouth has fallen open.

 

“You’re insane.”

 

“It’s good!” She defends. “Like it’s  _really_  good.”

 

“I don’t believe you.” Scott is shaking his head and throwing popcorn at her.

 

“Stop it!” She chuckles, throwing a few kernels back. She tries to nip his theatrics in the bud before she has to explain to housekeeping why her bed is full of popcorn.

 

“Okay, Miss Virtue. I’ll be the judge of this. Play the movie and we’ll find out how big a sap you are.” Scott leans back against the headboard.

 

“Oh,  _I’m_  the sap? Mr I-cried-throughout-A-Walk-To-Remember.”

 

“She  _dies_ , Tess!” Scott exclaims. “I can’t believe you’re bringing up that movie now when I’m feeling so vulnerable.”

 

Tessa just laughs and shuffles up next to him as the opening credits of  _Set It Up_ play on her (still angry) laptop.

 

She’s right. It’s good. He cries at the end.

 

* * *

 

Cassie moves onto an actor she meets on the set of a Proactiv commercial three days after she and Scott call it quits. Tessa finds out via Instagram and reluctantly tells him on the bus to Victoria, but he finds that he’s not really upset by it. He liked her enough but he’s glad she’s found someone with similar aspirations as hers and hopes that it’s #relationshipgoals like she wanted.

 

(Scott’s follower count is still bigger than both of theirs combined.)


End file.
